Alex talks about the intersection between art, science, maths and technology with artist Mark Burden. In this eclectic chat they discuss Alan Turing, AI, beauty in the mundane, art across multiple mediums, the metaphysics of walking, Christmas cards and how he used art to help recover from burnout.

Alex revisits the first 6 months, 25 episodes and 495 minutes of the podcast. In part one he recounts the circumstances that lead to him starting the podcast, and revisits the first 9 episodes.

Alex takes aim at the evils and excesses of art speak via Tolstoy, Artificial Intelligence, and the science of Bullshit.

Alex discusses the abstract painting he’s working on, and the wonders of the process of using and observing natural processes when creating artworks.

Alex chats to fellow artist Sharon Milton about her incredible career as one of the most senior members of the Scottish police force, meeting Barack Obama, recovery from cancer, guns, Arctic expeditions and how creativity helped her escape, rehab and prehab. It was an honour and a privilege to have Sharon recount her incredible and inspiring story.

Alex discusses the intricate dance between ego and identity in art, exploring how self-expression shapes both creator and audience. Through Frida Kahlo’s lens, he delves into the misunderstood relationship between art and self, challenging the notion of narcissism in creativity.

Art Takes are a new flavour of episode where we listen to Alex while at work in his studio. In this episode Alex is working on an organic abstract artwork using fluid paints while musing on mindfulness, process, chaos, the nature of colour, technique, composition and loads more.

In this second episode of the Your Brain on Art series, Alex discusses Zen, how meditation and mindfulness can aid mental wellness and what this says about flow states and the creative process.

Alex gets mental and physical in the bumper first episode on his series that seeks to illuminate the biological and psychological causes of mental illness and the reasons why art can help treat and prevent it. In this episode he discusses the causes of the epidemic of mental illness we see in society at the moment, offers some insight onto the mechanisms leading to this, and discusses how various treatments help us.